Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
The Cryosphere, 15, 5205–5226, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The Cryosphere, 15, 5205–5226, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article 25 Nov 2021
Research article | 25 Nov 2021
Seasonal evolution of Antarctic supraglacial lakes in 2015–2021 and links to environmental controls
Mariel C. Dirscherl et al.
Related authors
No articles found.
Celia A. Baumhoer, Andreas J. Dietz, Christof Kneisel, Heiko Paeth, and Claudia Kuenzer
The Cryosphere, 15, 2357–2381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a record of circum-Antarctic glacier and ice shelf front change over the last two decades in combination with potential environmental variables forcing frontal retreat. Along the Antarctic coastline, glacier and ice shelf front retreat dominated between 1997–2008 and advance between 2009–2018. Decreasing sea ice days, intense snowmelt, weakening easterly winds, and relative changes in sea surface temperature were identified as enabling factors for glacier and ice shelf front retreat.
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Antarctic
Wind-induced seismic noise at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station
Nunataks as barriers to ice flow: implications for palaeo ice sheet reconstructions
Quantifying the potential future contribution to global mean sea level from the Filchner–Ronne basin, Antarctica
Did Holocene climate changes drive West Antarctic grounding line retreat and readvance?
Downscaled surface mass balance in Antarctica: impacts of subsurface processes and large-scale atmospheric circulation
Investigating the internal structure of the Antarctic ice sheet: the utility of isochrones for spatiotemporal ice-sheet model calibration
What is the surface mass balance of Antarctica? An intercomparison of regional climate model estimates
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica
Brief communication: Thwaites Glacier cavity evolution
Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Assessment of ICESat-2 ice surface elevations over the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) route, East Antarctica, based on coordinated multi-sensor observations
Statistical emulation of a perturbed basal melt ensemble of an ice sheet model to better quantify Antarctic sea level rise uncertainties
Environmental drivers of circum-Antarctic glacier and ice shelf front retreat over the last two decades
Improving Surface Melt Estimation over Antarctica Using Deep Learning: A Proof-of-Concept over the Larsen Ice Shelf
Aerogeophysical characterization of Titan Dome, East Antarctica, and potential as an ice core target
Diverging future surface mass balance between the Antarctic ice shelves and grounded ice sheet
Physics-based SNOWPACK model improves representation of near-surface Antarctic snow and firn density
The GRISLI-LSCE contribution to the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6) – Part 2: Projections of the Antarctic ice sheet evolution by the end of the 21st century
TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica: Generation and error characterization
Recent acceleration of Denman Glacier (1972–2017), East Antarctica, driven by grounding line retreat and changes in ice tongue configuration
ISMIP6-based projections of ocean-forced Antarctic Ice Sheet evolution using the Community Ice Sheet Model
Future surface mass balance and surface melt in the Amundsen sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Sensitivity of the Antarctic ice sheets to the warming of marine isotope substage 11c
Exploring the impact of atmospheric forcing and basal drag on the Antarctic Ice Sheet under Last Glacial Maximum conditions
Drivers of Pine Island Glacier speed-up between 1996 and 2016
Scoring Antarctic surface mass balance in climate models to refine future projections
Distribution and seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica
Mapping the grounding zone of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, from ICESat-2 laser altimetry
Mid-Holocene thinning of David Glacier, Antarctica: Chronology and Controls
Impact of coastal East Antarctic ice rises on surface mass balance: insights from observations and modeling
Temporal and spatial variability in surface roughness and accumulation rate around 88° S from repeat airborne geophysical surveys
The role of history and strength of the oceanic forcing in sea level projections from Antarctica with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model
ISMIP6 Antarctica: a multi-model ensemble of the Antarctic ice sheet evolution over the 21st century
New gravity-derived bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson ice shelves revealing two ice shelf populations
Revealing the former bed of Thwaites Glacier using sea-floor bathymetry: implications for warm-water routing and bed controls on ice flow and buttressing
A 14.5-million-year record of East Antarctic Ice Sheet fluctuations from the central Transantarctic Mountains, constrained with cosmogenic 3He, 10Be, 21Ne, and 26Al
Experimental protocol for sea level projections from ISMIP6 stand-alone ice sheet models
Large-scale englacial folding and deep-ice stratigraphy within the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Synoptic conditions and atmospheric moisture pathways associated with virga and precipitation over coastal Adélie Land in Antarctica
Refractory black carbon (rBC) variability in a 47-year West Antarctic snow and firn core
Spatial probabilistic calibration of a high-resolution Amundsen Sea Embayment ice sheet model with satellite altimeter data
How useful is snow accumulation in reconstructing surface air temperature in Antarctica? A study combining ice core records and climate models
Glacial-cycle simulations of the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) – Part 1: Boundary conditions and climatic forcing
Glacial-cycle simulations of the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) – Part 2: Parameter ensemble analysis
Interannual variability of summer surface mass balance and surface melting in the Amundsen sector, West Antarctica
Thickness of the divide and flank of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet through the last deglaciation
New Last Glacial Maximum ice thickness constraints for the Weddell Sea Embayment, Antarctica
Calving cycle of the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica, driven by changes in ice shelf geometry
Brief communication: A submarine wall protecting the Amundsen Sea intensifies melting of neighboring ice shelves
Modelling the Antarctic Ice Sheet across the mid-Pleistocene transition – implications for Oldest Ice
Baptiste Frankinet, Thomas Lecocq, and Thierry Camelbeeck
The Cryosphere, 15, 5007–5016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5007-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5007-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Icequakes are the result of processes occurring within the ice mass or between the ice and its environment. Having a complete catalogue of those icequakes provides a unique view on the ice dynamics. But the instruments recording these events are polluted by different noise sources such as the wind. Using the data from multiple instruments, we found how the wind noise affects the icequake monitoring at the Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica.
Martim Mas e Braga, Richard Selwyn Jones, Jennifer C. H. Newall, Irina Rogozhina, Jane L. Andersen, Nathaniel A. Lifton, and Arjen P. Stroeven
The Cryosphere, 15, 4929–4947, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4929-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Mountains higher than the ice surface are sampled to know when the ice reached the sampled elevation, which can be used to guide numerical models. This is important to understand how much ice will be lost by ice sheets in the future. We use a simple model to understand how ice flow around mountains affects the ice surface topography and show how much this influences results from field samples. We also show that models need a finer resolution over mountainous areas to better match field samples.
Emily A. Hill, Sebastian H. R. Rosier, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Matthew Collins
The Cryosphere, 15, 4675–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4675-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4675-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using an ice flow model and uncertainty quantification methods, we provide probabilistic projections of future sea level rise from the Filchner–Ronne region of Antarctica. We find that it is most likely that this region will contribute negatively to sea level rise over the next 300 years, largely as a result of increased surface mass balance. We identify parameters controlling ice shelf melt and snowfall contribute most to uncertainties in projections.
Sarah U. Neuhaus, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Nathan D. Stansell, Jason J. Coenen, Reed P. Scherer, Jill A. Mikucki, and Ross D. Powell
The Cryosphere, 15, 4655–4673, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate the timing of post-LGM grounding line retreat and readvance in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. Our analyses indicate that the grounding line retreated over our field sites within the past 5000 years (coinciding with a warming climate) and readvanced roughly 1000 years ago (coinciding with a cooling climate). Based on these results, we propose that the Siple Coast grounding line motions in the middle to late Holocene were driven by relatively modest changes in regional climate.
Nicolaj Hansen, Peter L. Langen, Fredrik Boberg, Rene Forsberg, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Peter Thejll, Baptiste Vandecrux, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 15, 4315–4333, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4315-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4315-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have used computer models to estimate the Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) from 1980 to 2017. Our estimates lies between 2473.5 ± 114.4 Gt per year and 2564.8 ± 113.7 Gt per year. To evaluate our models, we compared the modelled snow temperatures and densities to in situ measurements. We also investigated the spatial distribution of the SMB. It is very important to have estimates of the Antarctic SMB because then it is easier to understand global sea level changes.
Johannes Sutter, Hubertus Fischer, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 15, 3839–3860, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3839-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3839-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Projections of global sea-level changes in a warming world require ice-sheet models. We expand the calibration of these models by making use of the internal architecture of the Antarctic ice sheet, which is formed by its evolution over many millennia. We propose that using our novel approach to constrain ice sheet models, we will be able to both sharpen our understanding of past and future sea-level changes and identify weaknesses in the parameterisation of current continental-scale models.
Ruth Mottram, Nicolaj Hansen, Christoph Kittel, J. Melchior van Wessem, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Fredrik Boberg, Willem Jan van de Berg, Xavier Fettweis, Alexandra Gossart, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Erik van Meijgaard, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Stuart Webster, Sebastian B. Simonsen, and Niels Souverijns
The Cryosphere, 15, 3751–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compare the calculated surface mass budget (SMB) of Antarctica in five different regional climate models. On average ~ 2000 Gt of snow accumulates annually, but different models vary by ~ 10 %, a difference equivalent to ± 0.5 mm of global sea level rise. All models reproduce observed weather, but there are large differences in regional patterns of snowfall, especially in areas with very few observations, giving greater uncertainty in Antarctic mass budget than previously identified.
Madison L. Ghiz, Ryan C. Scott, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Matthew Lazzara, and Dan Lubin
The Cryosphere, 15, 3459–3494, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how melt occurs over the vulnerable ice shelves of West Antarctica and determine that the three primary mechanisms can be evaluated using archived numerical weather prediction model data and satellite imagery. We find examples of each mechanism: thermal blanketing by a warm atmosphere, radiative heating by thin clouds, and downslope winds. Our results signify the potential to make a multi-decadal assessment of atmospheric stress on West Antarctic ice shelves in a warming climate.
Suzanne L. Bevan, Adrian J. Luckman, Douglas I. Benn, Susheel Adusumilli, and Anna Crawford
The Cryosphere, 15, 3317–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet depends on the behaviour of the fast-flowing glaciers, such as Thwaites, that connect it to the ocean. Here we show that a large ocean-melted cavity beneath Thwaites Glacier has remained stable since it first formed, implying that, in line with current theory, basal melt is now concentrated close to where the ice first goes afloat. We also show that Thwaites Glacier continues to thin and to speed up and that continued retreat is therefore likely.
Peter A. Tuckett, Jeremy C. Ely, Andrew J. Sole, James M. Lea, Stephen J. Livingstone, Julie M. Jones, and J. Melchior van Wessem
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-177, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-177, 2021
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes form on the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the summer. These lakes can generate further melt, break up floating ice shelves and alter ice dynamics. Here, we describe a new automated method for mapping surface lakes, and apply our technique to the Amery Ice Shelf between 2005 and 2020. Lake area is highly variable between years, driven by large-scale climate patterns. This technique will help us understand the role of Antarctic surface lakes in our warming world.
Rongxing Li, Hongwei Li, Tong Hao, Gang Qiao, Haotian Cui, Youquan He, Gang Hai, Huan Xie, Yuan Cheng, and Bofeng Li
The Cryosphere, 15, 3083–3099, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3083-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3083-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present the results of an assessment of ICESat-2 surface elevations along the 520 km CHINARE route in East Antarctica. The assessment was performed based on coordinated multi-sensor observations from a global navigation satellite system, corner cube retroreflectors, retroreflective target sheets, and UAVs. The validation results demonstrate that ICESat-2 elevations are accurate to 1.5–2.5 cm and can potentially overcome the uncertainties in the estimation of mass balance in East Antarctica.
Mira Berdahl, Gunter Leguy, William H. Lipscomb, and Nathan M. Urban
The Cryosphere, 15, 2683–2699, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2683-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2683-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic ice shelves are vulnerable to warming ocean temperatures and have already begun thinning in response to increased basal melt rates. Sea level is expected to rise due to Antarctic contributions, but uncertainties in rise amount and timing remain largely unquantified. To facilitate uncertainty quantification, we use a high-resolution ice sheet model to build, test, and validate an ice sheet emulator and generate probabilistic sea level rise estimates for 100 and 200 years in the future.
Celia A. Baumhoer, Andreas J. Dietz, Christof Kneisel, Heiko Paeth, and Claudia Kuenzer
The Cryosphere, 15, 2357–2381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2357-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a record of circum-Antarctic glacier and ice shelf front change over the last two decades in combination with potential environmental variables forcing frontal retreat. Along the Antarctic coastline, glacier and ice shelf front retreat dominated between 1997–2008 and advance between 2009–2018. Decreasing sea ice days, intense snowmelt, weakening easterly winds, and relative changes in sea surface temperature were identified as enabling factors for glacier and ice shelf front retreat.
Zhongyang Hu, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Maaike Izeboud, and Michiel van den Broeke
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-102, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-102, 2021
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica is shrinking, and part of the mass loss is caused by higher temperatures leading to more snowmelt. We use computer models to estimate the amount of melt, but this can be inaccurate exactly in areas with most melt. It's because the model cannot account for small, darker areas like rocks or darker ice. Therefore, we trained a computer using artificial intelligence. Satellite images that show these darker areas were provided to the computer, and it computed an improved estimate of melt.
Lucas H. Beem, Duncan A. Young, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Donald D. Blankenship, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Jingxue Guo, and Sun Bo
The Cryosphere, 15, 1719–1730, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1719-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1719-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Radar observation collected above Titan Dome of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is used to describe ice geometry and test a hypothesis that ice beneath the dome is older than 1 million years. An important climate transition occurred between 1.25 million and 700 thousand years ago, and if ice old enough to study this period can be removed as an ice core, new insights into climate dynamics are expected. The new observations suggest the ice is too young – more likely 300 to 800 thousand years old.
Christoph Kittel, Charles Amory, Cécile Agosta, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Stefan Hofer, Alison Delhasse, Sébastien Doutreloup, Pierre-Vincent Huot, Charlotte Lang, Thierry Fichefet, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 15, 1215–1236, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1215-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1215-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The future surface mass balance (SMB) of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) will influence the ice dynamics and the contribution of the ice sheet to the sea level rise. We investigate the AIS sensitivity to different warmings using physical and statistical downscaling of CMIP5 and CMIP6 models. Our results highlight a contrasting effect between the grounded ice sheet (where the SMB is projected to increase) and ice shelves (where the future SMB depends on the emission scenario).
Eric Keenan, Nander Wever, Marissa Dattler, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Brooke Medley, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Carleen Reijmer
The Cryosphere, 15, 1065–1085, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1065-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1065-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Snow density is required to convert observed changes in ice sheet volume into mass, which ultimately drives ice sheet contribution to sea level rise. However, snow properties respond dynamically to wind-driven redistribution. Here we include a new wind-driven snow density scheme into an existing snow model. Our results demonstrate an improved representation of snow density when compared to observations and can therefore be used to improve retrievals of ice sheet mass balance.
Aurélien Quiquet and Christophe Dumas
The Cryosphere, 15, 1031–1052, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1031-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1031-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present here the GRISLI-LSCE contribution to the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6 for Antarctica. The project aims to quantify the ice sheet contribution to global sea level rise for the next century. We show that increased precipitation in the future in some cases mitigates this contribution, with positive to negative values in 2100 depending of the climate forcing used. Sub-shelf-basal-melt uncertainties induce large differences in simulated grounding-line retreats.
Birgit Wessel, Martin Huber, Christian Wohlfart, Adina Bertram, Nicole Osterkamp, Ursula Marschalk, Astrid Gruber, Felix Reuß, Sahra Abdullahi, Isabel Georg, and Achim Roth
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-19, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-19, 2021
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new digital elevation model (DEM) of Antarctica derived from the TanDEM-X DEM, with new interferometric radar acquisitions incorporated and edited elevations, especially at the coast. A strength of this DEM is its homogeneity and completeness. Extensive validation work shows an excellent vertical accuracy of −0.3 m ± 2.5 m standard deviation on blue ice surfaces compared to ICESat laser altimeter heights. The new TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica is freely available.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Jim R. Jordan, Chris R. Stokes, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Adrian Jenkins
The Cryosphere, 15, 663–676, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-663-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-663-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a historical overview of changes in Denman Glacier's flow speed, structure and calving events since the 1960s. Based on these observations, we perform a series of numerical modelling experiments to determine the likely cause of Denman's acceleration since the 1970s. We show that grounding line retreat, ice shelf thinning and the detachment of Denman's ice tongue from a pinning point are the most likely causes of the observed acceleration.
William H. Lipscomb, Gunter R. Leguy, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Xylar Asay-Davis, Hélène Seroussi, and Sophie Nowicki
The Cryosphere, 15, 633–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-633-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-633-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes Antarctic climate change experiments in which the Community Ice Sheet Model is forced with ocean warming predicted by global climate models. Generally, ice loss begins slowly, accelerates by 2100, and then continues unabated, with widespread retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The mass loss by 2500 varies from about 150 to 1300 mm of equivalent sea level rise, based on the predicted ocean warming and assumptions about how this warming drives melting beneath ice shelves.
Marion Donat-Magnin, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Christoph Kittel, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Hubert Gallée, Gerhard Krinner, and Mondher Chekki
The Cryosphere, 15, 571–593, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-571-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-571-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We simulate the West Antarctic climate in 2100 under increasing greenhouse gases. Future accumulation over the ice sheet increases, which reduces sea level changing rate. Surface ice-shelf melt rates increase until 2100. Some ice shelves experience a lot of liquid water at their surface, which indicates potential ice-shelf collapse. In contrast, no liquid water is found over other ice shelves due to huge amounts of snowfall that bury liquid water, favouring refreezing and ice-shelf stability.
Martim Mas e Braga, Jorge Bernales, Matthias Prange, Arjen P. Stroeven, and Irina Rogozhina
The Cryosphere, 15, 459–478, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-459-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-459-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We combine a computer model with different climate records to simulate how Antarctica responded to warming during marine isotope substage 11c, which can help understand Antarctica's natural drivers of change. We found that the regional climate warming of Antarctica seen in ice cores was necessary for the model to match the recorded sea level rise. A collapse of its western ice sheet is possible if a modest warming is sustained for ca. 4000 years, contributing 6.7 to 8.2 m to sea level rise.
Javier Blasco, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
The Cryosphere, 15, 215–231, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-215-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-215-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During the Last Glacial Maximum the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger and more extended than at present. However, neither its exact position nor the total ice volume are well constrained. Here we investigate how the different climatic boundary conditions, as well as basal friction configurations, affect the size and extent of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and discuss its potential implications.
Jan De Rydt, Ronja Reese, Fernando S. Paolo, and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 15, 113–132, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-113-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-113-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite observations and numerical simulations of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, between 1996 and 2016 to show that the recent increase in its flow speed can only be reproduced by computer models if stringent assumptions are made about the material properties of the ice and its underlying bed. These assumptions are not commonly adopted in ice flow modelling, and our results therefore have implications for future simulations of Antarctic ice flow and sea level projections.
Tessa Gorte, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, and Brooke Medley
The Cryosphere, 14, 4719–4733, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4719-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4719-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we analyze several spatial and temporal criteria to assess the ability of models in the CMIP5 and CMIP6 frameworks to recreate past Antarctic surface mass balance. We then compared a subset of the top performing models to all remaining models to refine future surface mass balance predictions under different forcing scenarios. We found that the top performing models predict lower surface mass balance by 2100, indicating less buffering than otherwise expected of sea level rise.
Jennifer F. Arthur, Chris R. Stokes, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, J. Rachel Carr, and Amber A. Leeson
The Cryosphere, 14, 4103–4120, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Surface meltwater lakes can flex and fracture ice shelves, potentially leading to ice shelf break-up. A long-term record of lake evolution on Shackleton Ice Shelf is produced using optical satellite imagery and compared to surface air temperature and modelled surface melt. The results reveal that lake clustering on the ice shelf is linked to melt-enhancing feedbacks. Peaks in total lake area and volume closely correspond with intense snowmelt events rather than with warmer seasonal temperatures.
Tian Li, Geoffrey J. Dawson, Stephen J. Chuter, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 14, 3629–3643, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3629-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3629-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate knowledge of the Antarctic grounding zone is critical for the understanding of ice sheet instability and the evaluation of mass balance. We present a new, fully automated method to map the grounding zone from ICESat-2 laser altimetry. Our results of Larsen C Ice Shelf demonstrate the efficiency, density, and high spatial accuracy with which ICESat-2 can image complex grounding zones.
Jamey Stutz, Andrew Mackintosh, Kevin Norton, Ross Whitmore, Carlo Baroni, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, R. Selwyn Jones, Greg Balco, Maria Cristina Salvatore, Stefano Casale, Jae Il Lee, Yeong Bae Seong, Hyun Hee Rhee, Robert McKay, Lauren J. Vargo, Daniel Lowry, Perry Spector, Marcus Cristl, Susan Ivy Ochs, Luigia Di Nicola, Maria Iarossi, Finlay Stuart, and Tom Woodruff
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-284, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-284, 2020
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the long term behavior of ice sheets is essential to projecting future changes due to climate change. In this study, we use rocks deposited along the margin of the David Glacier, one of the largest glacier systems in the world, to reveal a rapid thinning event initiated over 7,000 years ago and endured for ~ 2,000 years. Using physical models, we show that sub-glacial topography and ocean heat are important drivers for change along this sector of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Thore Kausch, Stef Lhermitte, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Nander Wever, Mana Inoue, Frank Pattyn, Sainan Sun, Sarah Wauthy, Jean-Louis Tison, and Willem Jan van de Berg
The Cryosphere, 14, 3367–3380, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3367-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Ice rises are elevated parts of the otherwise flat ice shelf. Here we study the impact of an Antarctic ice rise on the surrounding snow accumulation by combining field data and modeling. Our results show a clear difference in average yearly snow accumulation between the windward side, the leeward side and the peak of the ice rise due to differences in snowfall and wind erosion. This is relevant for the interpretation of ice core records, which are often drilled on the peak of an ice rise.
Michael Studinger, Brooke C. Medley, Kelly M. Brunt, Kimberly A. Casey, Nathan T. Kurtz, Serdar S. Manizade, Thomas A. Neumann, and Thomas B. Overly
The Cryosphere, 14, 3287–3308, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3287-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3287-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We use repeat airborne geophysical data consisting of laser altimetry, snow, and Ku-band radar and optical imagery to analyze the spatial and temporal variability in surface roughness, slope, wind deposition, and snow accumulation at 88° S. We find small–scale variability in snow accumulation based on the snow radar subsurface layering, indicating areas of strong wind redistribution are prevalent at 88° S. There is no slope–independent relationship between surface roughness and accumulation.
Ronja Reese, Anders Levermann, Torsten Albrecht, Hélène Seroussi, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 14, 3097–3110, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3097-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3097-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We compare 21st century projections of Antarctica's future sea-level contribution simulated with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model submitted to ISMIP6 with projections following the LARMIP-2 protocol based on the same model configuration. We find that (1) a preceding historic simulation increases mass loss by 5–50 % and that (2) the order of magnitude difference in the ice loss in our experiments following the two protocols can be explained by the translation of ocean forcing to sub-shelf melting.
Hélène Seroussi, Sophie Nowicki, Antony J. Payne, Heiko Goelzer, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Torsten Albrecht, Xylar Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Richard Cullather, Christophe Dumas, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Rupert Gladstone, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan M. Gregory, Ralf Greve, Tore Hattermann, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Thomas Kleiner, Eric Larour, Gunter R. Leguy, Daniel P. Lowry, Chistopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Tyler Pelle, Stephen F. Price, Aurélien Quiquet, Ronja Reese, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Sainan Sun, Luke D. Trusel, Jonas Van Breedam, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Ricarda Winkelmann, Chen Zhao, Tong Zhang, and Thomas Zwinger
The Cryosphere, 14, 3033–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass over at least the past 3 decades in response to changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. This study presents an ensemble of model simulations of the Antarctic evolution over the 2015–2100 period based on various ice sheet models, climate forcings and emission scenarios. Results suggest that the West Antarctic ice sheet will continue losing a large amount of ice, while the East Antarctic ice sheet could experience increased snow accumulation.
Tom A. Jordan, David Porter, Kirsty Tinto, Romain Millan, Atsuhiro Muto, Kelly Hogan, Robert D. Larter, Alastair G. C. Graham, and John D. Paden
The Cryosphere, 14, 2869–2882, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Linking ocean and ice sheet processes allows prediction of sea level change. Ice shelves form a floating buffer between the ice–ocean systems, but the water depth beneath is often a mystery, leaving a critical blind spot in our understanding of how these systems interact. Here, we use airborne measurements of gravity to reveal the bathymetry under the ice shelves flanking the rapidly changing Thwaites Glacier and adjacent glacier systems, providing new insights and data for future models.
Kelly A. Hogan, Robert D. Larter, Alastair G. C. Graham, Robert Arthern, James D. Kirkham, Rebecca Totten Minzoni, Tom A. Jordan, Rachel Clark, Victoria Fitzgerald, Anna K. Wåhlin, John B. Anderson, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Frank O. Nitsche, Lauren Simkins, James A. Smith, Karsten Gohl, Jan Erik Arndt, Jongkuk Hong, and Julia Wellner
The Cryosphere, 14, 2883–2908, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2883-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2883-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The sea-floor geometry around the rapidly changing Thwaites Glacier is a key control on warm ocean waters reaching the ice shelf and grounding zone beyond. This area was previously unsurveyed due to icebergs and sea-ice cover. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration mapped this area for the first time in 2019. The data reveal troughs over 1200 m deep and, as this region is thought to have only ungrounded recently, provide key insights into the morphology beneath the grounded ice sheet.
Allie Balter-Kennedy, Gordon Bromley, Greg Balco, Holly Thomas, and Margaret S. Jackson
The Cryosphere, 14, 2647–2672, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2647-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2647-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We describe new geologic evidence from Antarctica that demonstrates changes in East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) extent over the past ~ 15 million years. Our data show that the EAIS was a persistent feature in the Transantarctic Mountains for much of that time, including some (but not all) times when global temperature may have been warmer than today. Overall, our results comprise a long-term record of EAIS change and may provide useful constraints for ice sheet models and sea-level estimates.
Sophie Nowicki, Heiko Goelzer, Hélène Seroussi, Anthony J. Payne, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Patrick Alexander, Xylar S. Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Richard Cullather, Denis Felikson, Xavier Fettweis, Jonathan M. Gregory, Tore Hattermann, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Eric Larour, Christopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Isabel Nias, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Donald Slater, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Luke D. Trusel, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Roderik van de Wal
The Cryosphere, 14, 2331–2368, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2331-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2331-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the experimental protocol for ice sheet models taking part in the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparion Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6) and presents an overview of the atmospheric and oceanic datasets to be used for the simulations. The ISMIP6 framework allows for exploring the uncertainty in 21st century sea level change from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Neil Ross, Hugh Corr, and Martin Siegert
The Cryosphere, 14, 2103–2114, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2103-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Using airborne ice-penetrating radar we investigated the physical properties and structure of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Ice deep beneath the Institute Ice Stream has prominent layers with physical properties distinct from those around them and which are heavily folded like geological layers. In turn, these folds influence the present-day flow of the ice sheet, with implications for how computer models are used to simulate ice sheet flow and behaviour in a warming world.
Nicolas Jullien, Étienne Vignon, Michael Sprenger, Franziska Aemisegger, and Alexis Berne
The Cryosphere, 14, 1685–1702, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1685-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1685-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Although snowfall is the main input of water to the Antarctic ice sheet, snowflakes are often evaporated by dry and fierce winds near the surface of the continent. The amount of snow that actually reaches the ground is therefore considerably reduced. By analyzing the position of cyclones and fronts as well as by back-tracing the atmospheric moisture pathway towards Antarctica, this study explains in which meteorological conditions snowfall is either completely evaporated or reaches the ground.
Luciano Marquetto, Susan Kaspari, and Jefferson Cardia Simões
The Cryosphere, 14, 1537–1554, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1537-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1537-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is a particle originating from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass burning that plays an important role in the climatic system. In this work, we analyzed black carbon from an Antarctic ice core spanning 1968–2015 and observed very low concentrations of this particle in the snow, lower than previous works in West Antarctica. We suggest that black carbon transport to East Antarctica is different from its transport to West Antarctica.
Andreas Wernecke, Tamsin L. Edwards, Isabel J. Nias, Philip B. Holden, and Neil R. Edwards
The Cryosphere, 14, 1459–1474, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1459-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1459-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how the two-dimensional characteristics of ice thickness change from satellite measurements can be used to judge and refine a high-resolution ice sheet model of Antarctica. The uncertainty in 50-year model simulations for the currently most drastically changing part of Antarctica can be reduced by nearly 40 % compared to a simpler, non-spatial approach and nearly 90 % compared to the original spread in simulations.
Quentin Dalaiden, Hugues Goosse, François Klein, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Max Holloway, Louise Sime, and Elizabeth R. Thomas
The Cryosphere, 14, 1187–1207, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1187-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1187-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Large uncertainties remain in Antarctic surface temperature reconstructions over the last millennium. Here, the analysis of climate model outputs reveals that snow accumulation is a more relevant proxy for surface temperature reconstructions than δ18O. We use this finding in data assimilation experiments to compare to observed surface temperatures. We show that our continental temperature reconstruction outperforms reconstructions based on δ18O, especially for East Antarctica.
Torsten Albrecht, Ricarda Winkelmann, and Anders Levermann
The Cryosphere, 14, 599–632, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-599-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-599-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
During the last glacial cycles the Antarctic Ice Sheet experienced alternating climatic conditions and varying sea-level history. In response, changes in ice sheet volume and ice-covered area occurred, implying feedbacks on the global sea level. We ran model simulations of the ice sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) over the last two glacial cycles to evaluate the model's sensitivity to different choices of boundary conditions and parameters to gain confidence for future projections.
Torsten Albrecht, Ricarda Winkelmann, and Anders Levermann
The Cryosphere, 14, 633–656, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-633-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-633-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A large ensemble of glacial-cycle simulations of the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) was analyzed in which four relevant model parameters were systematically varied. These parameters were selected in a companion study and are associated with uncertainties in ice dynamics, climatic forcing, basal sliding and solid Earth deformation. For each ensemble member a statistical score is computed, which enables calibrating the model against both modern and geologic data.
Marion Donat-Magnin, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Hubert Gallée, Charles Amory, Christoph Kittel, Xavier Fettweis, Jonathan D. Wille, Vincent Favier, Amine Drira, and Cécile Agosta
The Cryosphere, 14, 229–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-229-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-229-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Modeling the interannual variability of the surface conditions over Antarctic glaciers is important for the identification of climate trends and climate predictions and to assess models. We simulate snow accumulation and surface melting in the Amundsen sector (West Antarctica) over 1979–2017. For all the glaciers, the interannual variability of summer snow accumulation and surface melting is driven by two distinct mechanisms related to variations in the Amundsen Sea Low strength and position.
Perry Spector, John Stone, and Brent Goehring
The Cryosphere, 13, 3061–3075, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3061-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3061-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We describe constraints on the thickness of the interior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) through the last deglaciation. Our data imply that the ice-sheet divide between the Ross and Weddell sea sectors of the WAIS was thicker than present for a period less than ~ 8 kyr within the past ~ 15 kyr. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the divide initially thickened due to the deglacial rise in snowfall and subsequently thinned in response to retreat of the ice-sheet margin.
Keir A. Nichols, Brent M. Goehring, Greg Balco, Joanne S. Johnson, Andrew S. Hein, and Claire Todd
The Cryosphere, 13, 2935–2951, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2935-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2935-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the history of ice masses at three locations in the Weddell Sea Embayment, Antarctica. We measured rare isotopes in material sourced from mountains overlooking the Slessor Glacier, Foundation Ice Stream, and smaller glaciers on the Lassiter Coast. We show that ice masses were between 385 and 800 m thicker during the last glacial cycle than they are at present. The ice masses were both hundreds of metres thicker and remained thicker closer to the present than was previously thought.
Jan De Rydt, Gudmundur Hilmar Gudmundsson, Thomas Nagler, and Jan Wuite
The Cryosphere, 13, 2771–2787, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2771-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2771-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Two large icebergs are about to break off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Rifting started several years ago and is now approaching its final phase. Satellite data and computer simulations show that over the past 2 decades, growth of the ice shelf has caused a build-up of forces within the ice, which culminated in its fracture. These natural changes in geometry coincided with large variations in flow speed, a process that is thought to be relevant for all Antarctic ice shelf margins.
Özgür Gürses, Vanessa Kolatschek, Qiang Wang, and Christian Bernd Rodehacke
The Cryosphere, 13, 2317–2324, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2317-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2317-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The warming of the Earth's climate system causes sea level rise. In Antarctica, ice streams flow into the sea and develop ice shelves. These are floating extensions of the ice streams. Ocean water melts these ice shelves. It has been proposed that a submarine wall could shield these ice shelves from the warm water. Our model simulation shows that the wall protects ice shelves. However, the warm water flows to neighboring ice shelves. There, enhanced melting reduces the effectiveness of the wall.
Johannes Sutter, Hubertus Fischer, Klaus Grosfeld, Nanna B. Karlsson, Thomas Kleiner, Brice Van Liefferinge, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 13, 2023–2041, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2023-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2023-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Ice Sheet may have played an important role in moderating the transition between warm and cold climate epochs over the last million years. We find that the Antarctic Ice Sheet grew considerably about 0.9 Myr ago, a time when ice-age–warm-age cycles changed from a
40 000 to a 100 000 year periodicity. Our findings also suggest that ice as old as 1.5 Myr still exists at the bottom of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet despite the major climate reorganisations in the past.
Cited articles
Arthur, J. F., Stokes, C. R., Jamieson, S. S. R., Carr, J. R., and Leeson, A. A.: Distribution and seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 4103–4120,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, 2020a.
Arthur, J. F., Stokes, C. R., Jamieson, S. S. R., Carr, J. R., and Leeson, A. A.: Recent understanding of Antarctic supraglacial lakes using satellite
remote sensing, Prog. Phys. Geogr., 44, 837–869, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133320916114, 2020b.
Banwell, A. F. and Macayeal, D. R.: Ice-shelf fracture due to viscoelastic
flexure stress induced by fill/drain cycles of supraglacial lakes, Antarct.
Sci., 27, 587–597, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102015000292, 2015.
Banwell, A. F., MacAyeal, D. R., and Sergienko, O. V.: Breakup of the Larsen B Ice Shelf triggered by chain reaction drainage of supraglacial lakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 5872–5876, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057694, 2013.
Banwell, A. F., Willis, I. C., Macdonald, G. J., Goodsell, B., and MacAyeal,
D. R.: Direct measurements of ice-shelf flexure caused by surface meltwater
ponding and drainage, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08522-5, 2019.
Banwell, A. F., Datta, R. T., Dell, R. L., Moussavi, M., Brucker, L., Picard, G., Shuman, C. A., and Stevens, L. A.: The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, The Cryosphere, 15, 909–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-909-2021, 2021.
Bartholomew, I., Nienow, P., Mair, D., Hubbard, A., King, M. A., and Sole, A.: Seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage and acceleration in a Greenland outlet glacier, Nat. Geosci., 3, 408–411, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo863, 2010.
Bell, R. E., Chu, W., Kingslake, J., Das, I., Tedesco, M., Tinto, K. J., Zappa, C. J., Frezzotti, M., Boghosian, A., and Lee, W. S.: Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river,
Nature, 544, 344–348, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22048, 2017.
Bell, R. E., Banwell, A. F., Trusel, L. D., and Kingslake, J.: Antarctic
surface hydrology and impacts on ice-sheet mass balance, Nat. Clim. Change,
8, 1044, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0326-3, 2018.
Bengtsson, L., Koumoutsaris, S., and Hodges, K.: Large-Scale Surface Mass
Balance of Ice Sheets from a Comprehensive Atmospheric Model, Surv. Geophys., 32, 459–474, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9120-8, 2011.
Berthier, E., Scambos, T. A., and Shuman, C. A.: Mass loss of Larsen B
tributary glaciers (Antarctic Peninsula) unabated since 2002, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 39, L13501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051755, 2012.
Bevan, S., Luckman, A., Hendon, H., and Wang, G.: The 2020 Larsen C Ice Shelf surface melt is a 40-year record high, The Cryosphere, 14, 3551–3564,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3551-2020, 2020.
Bindschadler, R., Vornberger, P., Fleming, A., Fox, A., Mullins, J., Binnie,
D., Paulsen, S. J., Granneman, B., and Gorodetzky, D.: The Landsat Image
Mosaic of Antarctica, Remote Sens. Environ., 112, 4214–4226,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.07.006, 2008.
BOM: Climate Driver Update, available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/, last access: 22 June 2021.
Buzzard, S., Feltham, D. L., and Flocco, D.: Modelling the fate of surface
melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, The Cryosphere, 12, 3565–3575,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3565-2018, 2018.
Cape, M. R., Vernet, M., Skvarca, P., Marinsek, S., Scambos, T., and Domack,
E.: Foehn winds link climate-driven warming to ice shelf evolution in
Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 120, 11037–11057, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023465, 2015.
Cook, A. J. and Vaughan, D. G.: Overview of areal changes of the ice shelves
on the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 50 years, The Cryosphere, 4, 77–98, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-77-2010, 2010.
Datta, R. T., Tedesco, M., Fettweis, X., Agosta, C., Lhermitte, S., Lenaerts, J. T. M., and Wever, N.: The Effect of Foehn-Induced Surface Melt on Firn Evolution Over the Northeast Antarctic Peninsula, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 3822–3831, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080845, 2019.
Dell, R., Arnold, N., Willis, I., Banwell, A., Williamson, A., Pritchard, H., and Orr, A.: Lateral meltwater transfer across an Antarctic ice shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 2313–2330, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2313-2020, 2020.
Dirscherl, M.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Extents 2015–2021, available at: https://download.geoservice.dlr.de/ANTARCTICLAKES/files/, DLR Portal [data set], last access: 18 October 2021.
Dirscherl, M., Dietz, A. J., Kneisel, C., and Kuenzer, C.: Automated Mapping
of Antarctic Supraglacial Lakes Using a Machine Learning Approach, Remote
Sens., 12, 1203, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12071203, 2020.
Dirscherl, M., Dietz, A. J., Kneisel, C., and Kuenzer, C.: A Novel Method
for Automated Supraglacial Lake Mapping in Antarctica Using Sentinel-1 SAR
Imagery and Deep Learning, Remote Sens., 13, 197, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020197, 2021.
Dow, C. F., Lee, W. S., Greenbaum, J. S., Greene, C. A., Blankenship, D. D.,
Poinar, K., Forrest, A. L., Young, D. A., and Zappa, C. J.: Basal channels
drive active surface hydrology and transverse ice shelf fracture, Sci. Adv.,
4, 6, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao7212, 2018.
Dunmire, D., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Banwell, A. F., Wever, N., Shragge, J.,
Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Pattyn, F., Hansen, J. S. S., Willis, I. C., Miller, J., and Keenan, E.: Observations of Buried Lake Drainage on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL087970,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087970, 2020.
Echelmeyer, K., Clarke, T. S., and Harrison, W. D.: Surficial glaciology of
Jakobshavns Isbræ, West Greenland: Part I. Surface morphology, J. Glaciol., 37, 368–382, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000005803, 1991.
Foley, K. M., Ferrigno, J. G., Swithinbank, C., Williams Jr., R. S., and
Orndorff, A. L.: Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf
Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004, Int. J. Applied Earth Obs. Geoinform., 78, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2019.01.008, 2013.
Fürst, J. J., Durand, G., Gillet-Chaulet, F., Tavard, L., Rankl, M.,
Braun, M., and Gagliardini, O.: The safety band of Antarctic ice shelves, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 479–482, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2912, 2016.
Gardner, A. S., Moholdt, G., Scambos, T., Fahnstock, M., Ligtenberg, S., Van den Broeke, M., and Nilsson, J.: Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years, The Cryosphere, 12, 521–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-521-2018, 2018.
Gilbert, E. and Kittel, C.: Surface Melt and Runoff on Antarctic Ice Shelves
at 1.5 ∘C, 2 ∘C, and 4 ∘C of Future Warming,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, 8, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091733, 2021.
Glasser, N. F. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: Longitudinal surface structures (flowstripes) on Antarctic glaciers, The Cryosphere, 6, 383–391,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-383-2012, 2012.
Gossart, A., Helsen, S., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Broucke, S. V., van Lipzig, N. P. M., and Souverijns, N.: An Evaluation of Surface Climatology in
State-of-the-Art Reanalyses over the Antarctic Ice Sheet, J. Climate, 32,
6899–6915, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0030.1, 2019.
Halberstadt, A. R. W., Gleason, C. J., Moussavi, M. S., Pope, A., Trusel, L.
D., and DeConto, R. M.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Identification Using
Landsat-8 Image Classification, Remote Sens., 12, 1327,
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12081327, 2020.
Hambrey, M. J., Davies, B. J., Glasser, N. F., Holt, T. O., Smellie, J. L.,
and Carrivick, J. L.: Structure and sedimentology of George VI Ice Shelf,
Antarctic Peninsula: implications for ice-sheet dynamics and landform
development, J. Geol. Soc., 172, 599–613, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2014-134, 2015.
Hogg, A. E., Shepherd, A., Cornford, S. L., Briggs, K. H., Gourmelen, N.,
Graham, J. A., Joughin, I., Mouginot, J., Nagler, T., Payne, A. J., Rignot, E., and Wuite, J.: Increased ice flow in Western Palmer Land linked to ocean
melting, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 4159–4167, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL072110, 2017.
Holt, T., Glasser, N. F., Quincey, D. J., and Siegfried, M. R.: Speedup and
fracturing of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, The Cryosphere, 7,
797–816, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-797-2013, 2013a.
Holt, T., Glasser, N., and Quincey, D.: The structural glaciology of southwest Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves (ca. 2010), J. Maps, 9, 523–531,
https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2013.822836, 2013b.
Horwath, M., Dietrich, R., Baessler, M., Nixdorf, U., Steinhage, D., Fritzsche, D., Damm, V., and Reitmayr, G.: Nivlisen, an Antarctic ice shelf
in Dronning Maud Land: geodetic–glaciological results from a combined analysis of ice thickness, ice surface height and ice-flow observations, J.
Glaciol., 52, 17–30, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828953, 2006.
Howat, I. M., Porter, C., Smith, B. E., Noh, M.-J., and Morin, P.: The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 665–674,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-665-2019, 2019.
IMBIE: Antarctica and Greenland Ice Sheet Drainage Basins, IMBIE [data set], http://imbie.org/imbie-2016/drainage-basins/ (last access: 15 June 2021), 2016.
Jiang, H., Yang, Y., Bai, Y., and Wang, H.: Evaluation of the Total, Direct,
and Diffuse Solar Radiations From the ERA5 Reanalysis Data in China, IEEE
Geosci. Remote Sens. Lett., 17, 47–51, https://doi.org/10.1109/LGRS.2019.2916410, 2020.
Jolly, K.: Machine Learning with scikit-learn Quick Start Guide, Packt Publishing Ltd., Birmingham, UK, 2018.
Kingslake, J., Ng, F., and Sole, A.: Modelling channelized surface drainage of supraglacial lakes, J. Glaciol., 61, 185–199, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J158, 2015.
Kingslake, J., Ely, J. C., Das, I., and Bell, R. E.: Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves, Nature, 544, 349–352, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22049, 2017.
Kleiner, T. and Humbert, A.: Numerical simulations of major ice streams in
Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, under wet and dry basal conditions,
J. Glaciol., 60, 215–232, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J006, 2014.
Kuipers Munneke, P., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Broeke, M. R. V. D., and Vaughan,
D. G.: Firn air depletion as a precursor of Antarctic ice-shelf collapse, J.
Glaciol., 60, 205–214, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J183, 2014.
Kwok, R. and Comiso, J. C.: Spatial patterns of variability in Antarctic
surface temperature: Connections to the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode and
the Southern Oscillation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 50-1–50-4,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL015415, 2002.
LaBarbera, C. H. and MacAyeal, D. R.: Traveling supraglacial lakes on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, 24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL049970, 2011.
Laffin, M. K., Zender, C. S., Singh, S., Wessem, J. M. V., Smeets, C. J. P.
P., and Reijmer, C. H.: Climatology and Evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula
Föhn Wind-Induced Melt Regime From 1979–2018, Geophys. Res. Lett., 126,
e2020JD033682, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033682, 2021.
Lai, C.-Y., Kingslake, J., Wearing, M. G., Chen, P.-H. C., Gentine, P., Li,
H., Spergel, J. J., and van Wessem, J. M.: Vulnerability of Antarctica's ice
shelves to meltwater-driven fracture, Nature, 584, 574–578,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2627-8, 2020.
Langley, E. S., Leeson, A. A., Stokes, C. R., and Jamieson, S. S. R.: Seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on an East Antarctic outlet glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 8563–8571, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069511, 2016.
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Vizcaino, M., Fyke, J., van Kampenhout, L., and van den
Broeke, M. R.: Present-day and future Antarctic ice sheet climate and surface mass balance in the Community Earth System Model, Clim. Dynam., 47, 1367–1381, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2907-4, 2016.
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Berger,
S., Helm, V., Smeets, C. J. P. P., van den Broeke, M. R., van de Berg, W.
J., van Meijgaard, E., Eijkelboom, M., Eisen, O., and Pattyn, F.: Meltwater
produced by wind–albedo interaction stored in an East Antarctic ice shelf,
Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 58–62, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3180, 2017.
Lhermitte, S., Sun, S., Shuman, C., Wouters, B., Pattyn, F., Wuite, J.,
Berthier, E., and Nagler, T.: Damage accelerates ice shelf instability and
mass loss in Amundsen Sea Embayment, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 24735–24741, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912890117, 2020.
Louis, J., Debaecker, V., Pflug, B., Main-Knorn, M., Bieniarz, J., Mueller-Wilm, U., Cadau, E., and Gascon, F.: Sentinel-2 Sen2Cor: L2A Processor For Users, in: Proc. Living Planet Symposium 2016, Prague, Czech
Republic, 2016.
Luckman, A., Elvidge, A., Jansen, D., Kulessa, B., Munneke, P. K., King, J.,
and Barrand, N. E.: Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf and the
impact of föhn winds, Antarct. Sci., 26, 625–635,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102014000339, 2014.
Marshall, G. J.: Trends in the Southern Annular Mode from Observations and
Reanalyses, J. Climate, 16, 4134–4143, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<4134:TITSAM>2.0.CO;2, 2003.
Marshall, G. J.: The Climate Data Guide: Marshall Southern Annular Mode (SAM) Index (Station-based), National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff [data set], https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/marshall-southern-annular-mode-sam-index-station-based,
(last access: 20 June 2021), 2018.
McGrath, D., Steffen, K., Rajaram, H., Scambos, T., Abdalati, W., and Rignot, E.: Basal crevasses on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica: Implications for meltwater ponding and hydrofracture, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, 16, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052413, 2012.
Meredith, M., Sommerkorn, M., Cassotta, S., Derksen, C., Ekaykin, A., Hollowed, A., Kofinas, G., Mackintosh, A., Melbourne-Thomas, J., Muelbert,
M. M. C., Ottersen, G., Pritchard, H., and Schuur, E. A. G.: Polar Regions,
in: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, edited by: Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, D. C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E., Mintenbeck, K., Alegría, A., Nicolai, M., Okem, A., Petzold, J., Rama, B., and Weyer, N. M., in press, 2019.
Minchew, B. M., Gudmundsson, G. H., Gardner, A. S., Paolo, F. S., and Fricker, H. A.: Modeling the dynamic response of outlet glaciers to observed
ice-shelf thinning in the Bellingshausen Sea Sector, West Antarctica, J.
Glaciol., 64, 333–342, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.24, 2018.
Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., and Rignot, E.: MEaSUREs Antarctic Boundaries
for IPY 2007–2009 from Satellite Radar, Version 2, [Coastline, grounding
line data], NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center [data set], Boulder, Colorado, USA, https://doi.org/10.5067/AXE4121732AD (last access: 17 October 2021), 2017.
Moussavi, M., Pope, A., Halberstadt, A. R. W., Trusel, L. D., Cioffi, L.,
and Abdalati, W.: Antarctic Supraglacial Lake Detection Using Landsat 8 and
Sentinel-2 Imagery: Towards Continental Generation of Lake Volumes, Remote
Sens., 12, 134, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010134, 2020.
Müller, C. and Guido, S.: Introduction to Machine Learning with Python:
A Guide for Data Scientists, O'Reilly Media, Inc., Sebastopol, USA, 2016.
Munoz Sabater, J.: ERA5-Land hourly data from 1981 to present, Copernicus
Climate Change Service (C3S) Climate Data Store (CDS) [data set]
https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.e2161bac, 2019.
NSIDC: The Antarctic 2020 to 2021 melt season in review, available at:
http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/2021/04/the-antarctic-2020-to-2021-melt-season-in-review/,
last access: 23 June 2021.
Padman, L., Costa, D. P., Dinniman, M. S., Fricker, H. A., Goebel, M. E.,
Huckstadt, L. A., Humbert, A., Joughin, I., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Ligtenberg,
S. R. M., Scambos, T., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Oceanic controls on the
mass balance of Wilkins Ice Shelf, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 117,
C1, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC007301, 2012.
Reynolds, J. M.: Lakes on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Polar Rec., 20,
425–432, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247400003636, 1981.
Reynolds, J. M. and Hambrey, M. J.: The structural glaciology of George VI
Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, Brit. Antarct. Surv. B., 79, 79–95, 1988.
Rignot, E., Casassa, G., Gogineni, P., Krabill, W., Rivera, A., and Thomas, R.: Accelerated ice discharge from the Antarctic Peninsula following the
collapse of Larsen B ice shelf, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020697, 2004.
Rignot, E., Jacobs, S., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: Ice-Shelf Melting
Around Antarctica, Science, 341, 266–270, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1235798, 2013.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., Van den Broeke, M., Van Wessem, M.,
and Morlighem, M.: Four decades of Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance from 1979–2017, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 1095–1103, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812883116, 2019.
Rott, H., Abdel Jaber, W., Wuite, J., Scheiblauer, S., Floricioiu, D., Van Wessem, J. M., Nagler, T., Miranda, N., and Van den Broeke, M. R.: Changing pattern of ice flow and mass balance for glaciers discharging into the Larsen A and B embayments, Antarctic Peninsula, 2011 to 2016, The
Cryosphere, 12, 1273–1291, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1273-2018, 2018.
Scambos, T. A., Bohlander, J. A., Shuman, C. A., and Skvarca, P.: Glacier
acceleration and thinning after ice shelf collapse in the Larsen B embayment, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020670, 2004.
Shen, Q., Wang, H., Shum, C. K., Jiang, L., Hsu, H. T., and Dong, J.: Recent
high-resolution Antarctic ice velocity maps reveal increased mass loss in
Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, Sci. Rep., 8, 4477, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22765-0, 2018.
Siegert, M. J., Kulessa, B., Bougamont, M., Christoffersen, P., Key, K.,
Andersen, K. R., Booth, A. D., and Smith, A. M.: Antarctic subglacial groundwater: a concept paper on its measurement and potential influence on
ice flow, Geol. Soc., 461, 197–213, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP461.8, 2018.
Spergel, J. J., Kingslake, J., Creyts, T., van Wessem, M., and Fricker, H. A.: Surface meltwater drainage and ponding on Amery Ice Shelf, East
Antarctica, 1973–2019, J. Glaciol., 67, 985–998, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.46, 2021.
Stokes, C. R., Sanderson, J. E., Miles, B. W. J., Jamieson, S. S. R., and
Leeson, A. A.: Widespread distribution of supraglacial lakes around the margin of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Sci. Rep., 9, 1–14,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50343-5, 2019.
Tetzner, D., Thomas, E., and Allen, C.: A Validation of ERA5 Reanalysis Data
in the Southern Antarctic Peninsula–Ellsworth Land Region, and Its Implications for Ice Core Studies, Geosciences, 9, 289,
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9070289, 2019.
The IMBIE Team: Mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2017,
Nature, 558, 219–222, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0179-y, 2018.
Tong, X., Liu, S., Li, R., Xie, H., Liu, S., Qiao, G., Feng, T., Tian, Y., and Ye, Z.: Multi-track extraction of two-dimensional surface velocity by the combined use of differential and multiple-aperture InSAR in the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, Remote Sens. Environ., 204, 122–137,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.10.036, 2018.
Trusel, L. D., Frey, K. E., Das, S. B., Karnauskas, K. B., Kuipers Munneke,
P., van Meijgaard, E., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Divergent trajectories of
Antarctic surface melt under two twenty-first-century climate scenarios, Nat. Geosci., 8, 927–932, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2563, 2015.
Tuckett, P. A., Ely, J. C., Sole, A. J., Livingstone, S. J., Davison, B. J.,
van Wessem, J. M., and Howard, J.: Rapid accelerations of Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers driven by surface melt, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12039-2, 2019.
Turton, J. V., Kirchgaessner, A., Ross, A. N., King, J. C., and Kuipers Munneke, P.: The influence of föhn winds on annual and seasonal surface melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 4165–4180, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4165-2020, 2020.
Urraca, R., Huld, T., Gracia-Amillo, A., Martinez-de-Pison, F. J., Kaspar, F., and Sanz-Garcia, A.: Evaluation of global horizontal irradiance estimates from ERA5 and COSMO-REA6 reanalyses using ground and satellite-based data, Solar Energy, 164, 339–354, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.02.059, 2018.
van Wessem, J. M., van de Berg, W. J., Noël, B. P. Y., van Meijgaard, E., Amory, C., Birnbaum, G., Jakobs, C. L., Krüger, K., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Lhermitte, S., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Medley, B., Reijmer, C. H., van Tricht, K., Trusel, L. D., van Ulft, L. H., Wouters, B., Wuite, J., and van den Broeke, M. R.: Modelling the climate and surface mass balance of polar ice sheets using RACMO2 – Part 2: Antarctica (1979–2016), The Cryosphere, 12, 1479–1498, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1479-2018, 2018.
van Wessem, J. M., Steger, C. R., Wever, N., and van den Broeke, M. R.: An
exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016, The Cryosphere, 15, 695–714,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021, 2021.
Wagner, A. C.: Flooding of the ice shelf in George VI Sound, Brit. Antarct.
Surv. B., 28, 71–74, 1972.
Wessel, B., Huber, M., Wohlfart, C., Bertram, A., Osterkamp, N., Marschalk, U., Gruber, A., Reuß, F., Abdullahi, S., Georg, I., and Roth, A.: TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica: Generation and error characterization, The Cryosphere Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-19, in review, 2021.
Short summary
We provide novel insight into the temporal evolution of supraglacial lakes across six major Antarctic ice shelves in 2015–2021. For Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves, we observe extensive meltwater ponding during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 summers. Over East Antarctica, lakes were widespread during 2016–2019 and at a minimum in 2020–2021. We investigate environmental controls, revealing lake ponding to be coupled to atmospheric modes, the near-surface climate and the local glaciological setting.
We provide novel insight into the temporal evolution of supraglacial lakes across six major...
